Originally published at: https://devopenrent.wpengine.com/accepting-dss-tenants-couples-pets-students/
Some landlords limit their tenant-pool by not advertising to certain groups. This is a leading reason why online property adverts sometimes fail to create enquiries and viewings. Put simply, the fewer people you advertise to, the fewer enquiries you will get. Only around 20% of all households in England are private sector renters (although this…
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Refusing benefits claimants has been found to be unlawful discrimination in the court of law since June 2020. Many landlords have been fined for continuing to do so, and yet still so many others continue to refuse also! And in a pandemic no less, when so many more people are claiming than ever!
For reassurance you can request that the benefit payment be paid directly to you, and require a guarantor. It’s just ridiculous to hold such an archaic and irrelevant policy anymore.
Universal Credit is reliable, the housing element does not randomly stop and will be paid til such time as the claimants will be earning enough to not need it. Especially when so many people want being made redundant with little notice, receiving rent is no longer assured and in fact it’s now more stable to have DSS tenants - who will be reliably paying their rent!
If they have lied to the H B people then payments to a landlord will stop It can be a minefield whether thru HB or people in work. More stable I just dont believe , .Its my property and I will choose who I put in it not anyone else. If I dont want someone because I dont like them so be it. They may not like me either. Thats ok .I have tenants who have been with me for 22 years . I must be doing something right.
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Do you not see how it’s discrimination to assume that they would lie to Universal Credit?
Not so long ago landlords could refuse to rent to black, Asian, Irish people… And thankfully the laws came in place to stop such obvious discrimination. This is really no different.
Get references, deposit and a guarantor. Just as you should for anyone else
I said IF they lie, we do not know wahat is said to the benefits office that is not discrimination as all human beings are capable of lies those in emploment MAY do the same Landlords MAY lie.
Housing benefit can randomly stop if the tenant does not answer the council letters. It is also paid in arrears and does take weeks to set up in the first place. I work for other landlords and firmly know this to be the case. This does not mean there wont be problems with working tenants but when housing beenefit is involved problems MAY be compounded
Refusing benefits tenants is not unlawful. What was found to be unlawful is not considering them in the first place. Also, it is not true to say that many landlords have been fined for this. There have so far been only 2 cases that have gone to court.
There are many reasons why landlords will not consider a tenant who’s sole income is from benefits and quite apart from the problems with Universal Credit, the key one seems to be that a tenant with no money of the their own will not be able to pay court costs, rent arrears or compensation for any damage caused even if you sue them in court.
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well said David. Exactly so let them put their case for consideration. I hope Hannah sees this
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